Flasher.



F. HOTCHNER FLASHER.

APPLHCATION FILED 'FEB. 7. 19m.

Patented Sept. 24,1918;

'2 SHEETSSHEETI ORNE Y.

F. HOTCHNER.

FLASHER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

11v VENTOR.

fi- HOTCH/V'EB I I L TTORNE Y.

FRED HOTOHNER, OF Sl-llil' FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA FLASHEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24L, 191%.

Application. filed February 7, 19-17. Serial No. 147,145.

. To all whom it may coacern;

- Be it known that I, FRED HoroHNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Flasher, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable'those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a flasher for electric signs, and its object is to produce a flasher which is capable of being set up in the shop and tested, after which it may be dismounted and shipped withoutdisturbing the relative position of the several leads to thefuse blocks within the flasher box thereby eliminating a considerable item of expense where the flasher must be set. up and tested on the job after the sign has been erected.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that in nearly every instance the position of the flasher box with respect to the large number of wires leading from a traveling border or spelling sign is fixed by certam building considerations, and whenthese arcknown the position of the flasher with respect to the sign is readily determined, and, with a suitable junction box for holding the ends of'the series of wires in a fixed position during the time it is being sent from theshop to the job, simplifies the work of assembling the sign enormously, since the facilities for doing such work are always much better in the shop than in the field.

Another object of the invention is to provide. a flasher box which will also be a frame for the support of the flasher frames, said box at the same tlme being waterproof at allpoints, so that the apparatus therein is always protected from the elements.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide means whereby the flasher may be v a 1- tilated thereby keepin it cool and removin any danger of over eating the motor or 0t er parts contained therein.

Other objects of the invention will appear .as the description proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, but I am aware that there may be many modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the flasher box, a portion thereof being shown in secthe lower fuse blocks 24 and 25 tion, and a smaller scale traveling border sign being shown adjacent the flasher box.

Fig. Z is a side elevation of the sign as it appears when ready for shipment with the junction box removed from the flasher box and suitably secured on the side of the slgn.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the flasher box and assembled parts with the end of the flasher box removed for the purpose of illustration. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a portion of the flasher box showing one of the frames for supporting the flasher shafts.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the shaft supporting frames illustrating the way the electric current brushes are supported thereby, and also showing the box in section.

The numeral 1 represents an electric sign having a plurality of lamps to illuminate it, and with a traveling border 2 such as is well known in the art.

The traveling border 2, or the several letters of the sign if they spell the word theater require a large number of wires to run from the sign to the flasher. These wires extend from the sign into a long box 3, only the ends of said wires projecting from the box 3 as illustrated at 4, 5, 6, 7 and- 8'. The box 3 is provided wlth.,-four ears 1O, 11, 12 and 13, by means of which it is secured to the back of the flasher box with the bolts 14 to 17 inclusive, inthe position shown in Fig. 1.

A short piece of troughing' 18 is placed over the bunch of wires leadin from the electric sign to the flasher, an the feed cables 19, of which three are shown, may be led into the junction box at the lower side of the troughin although the precise place where said eed cables enter the flasher box is immaterial to the present in; vention. I

The ends of the wires 4 to 9 inclusive are connected with suitable fuse blocks 20 to 25 inclusive, of which there is such a num her as may be necessary for the circuits used' for flashing on and flashing off of the lights on the sign 1.

A suitably taped up cable 26 leads from portion of the flasher box 27 where said wires are spread out and connected individually with the series of brushes 28 to 41 inclusive. The several brushes are supported to the upper on an insulated bar 42 in a wellknown manner, which bar is in turn supported by the brackets 43, 44 and 45, which are bolted to the back and top of the flasher box 27. Th bracket 43 has an offset bracket 46 secured thereto to provide the space for the operatblock 49 on which the motor 50 is placed in back of the bottom 47 ,the motor base 49 also rests upon a cross plate 51 which is secured to the back of the flasher box by means of the bolts 52.

Adjacent the motor 50 are two frames 53 and 54. The frame 53 is provided with one adjustable bearing 55, while the frame 54 is provided with two adjustable bearings 56 and57. Mounted inthe two bear1ngs55 and 56 is a shaft 58, which has a grooved ulley 59 and a pinion 6O thereon. The shaft of the motoris provided with a grooved pulley 61, and a belt 62 extends around the pulley 61 and 59 and drives the latter. The frame 43 is provided with two adjustable bearings 63 and 64, and the bearings 57 and 64 support a shaft'65, which has a gear wheel 66 in mesh with the gear wheel and a smaller pinion 67 in mesh with a larger wheel 68 on the shaft 69. The shaft 69 is supported in three bearings 63, 70 and 71, which bearings are adjustably mounted on the frames 43, 44 and 45. Thedrums which produce the desired traveling effects consist each of a feed wheel 72, and two other wheels 73 and 74, which support the notched drum 75, the precise pattern of the drum being dependent upon the timing desired for the several lamps of the sign.

In the present instance, the two drums are shown as duplicates of each other, although this is not ordinarily the practice. The drums which receive and distribute the current to the lamps in the desired order are mounted upon metallic tubes 78, which tubes are in turn mounted on fiber insulating tubes 79 on the shaft 69, the current traveling from the brushes28 and 35 to the feed wheels .72 and thence to the drums 75 and brushes which distribute the current to the sign. The ends 80 and 81 of the box within which the flasher is mounted are provided with good sized holes 82, 83, and 84 for the ventilation of the box, said holes allowing the cool air to pass in and the heated air to escape therefrom; and, in order to prevent water from getting into the box, there is an overhanging plate 86 over each of said openings. The front of the box is provided with two doors 87 and 88, the former of which is hinged at the top as indicated at 89, and is so constructed with respect to its hinge that when the door is closed it flts within a depending flange 90 to insure a water tight joint. At the bottom of the door 87 there may be placed a hasp 91 and staple 92 for padlocking the door shut. The door 88 is hinged below the bottom 47, as indicated at 93, and a hasp 94 and staple 95 serve to allow it to be locked.

It will be apparent that the length of the flasher box, and its size with respect to the number of wheels orfeed drums contained therein, may be varied at will, but the essential part of the invention lies in the provision of a removable junction box for all of the wires leading from the sign, in the provision of a box which shall be water tight,and which forms the frames for assembling the several brackets on which the shafts are mounted, together with the arrangement whereby the doors may be opened for the inspection of all of the parts, each door covering up what is practically a separate set of apparatus.

In other words, the upper door'gives access to the motor and flasher drums, while the lower door, when opened, gives access to the several fuse blocks, thereby making the entire apparatus easy of access and easily examined for repairs or renewals.

After the sign has been set up in the shop andtested, all of the connections from the fuse blocks may be taped up and secured to the junction box 3, itbeing assumed that in the shop the flasher box is placed in a position substantially the same as the position it is to occupy when the sign and flasher box is set up in the field. When the connections are all removed from the several fuse blocks, the junction box 3 is removed from the flasher box and the troughing 18 is removed, whereupon the box 3 may be tied alongside of the sign, and it is ready to be shipped to its destination, whereupon it can be reassembled in a few'moments time.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows, express reservation being made of permissible modifications:

1. An electrical apparatus of the class described comprising a sign having a plurality of lights, a plurality of circuit wires extending therefrom 'to produce different electrical effects, a junction box into which said wires extend, a movable contact flasher, and means to detachably connect the junction box and wires therein to the flasher and circuits thereof whereby the junction box may be'bodily removed-from the flasher and secured to. the sign for transportation, the wires projecting from the junction box at the end and along the side thereof.

2. An electrical apparatus of'the class described, a sign having aplurality of lamps, "circuits, the wires projecting from the box a plurality of circuit wires extending thereat the end and at difierent places along the 10 from, a junction box to which said wires slde thereof. a

extend, a flasher having a series of moving In testimony whereof 'I have hereunto set 5 contacts, an inclosure for the flasher; means my hand-this 26th day of January A. D.

t0 detachably connect the junction box to 19 7- the flasher inclosure, and means to detach; ably connect the circuit wires to the flasher FRED HOTCHNER. 

